Distributer for typographical machines



T. S. HOMANS.

DKSTRIBUTER FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL MACHINES APPLICATION FILED NOV ,17. 1919.

1,334,098. Patented Mar. 16, 1920.-

INVENTOR TTbRNEY UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

mamas s. HOMANS; or nimrsrneng" new YORK," Assrcnorrro inrnnrrrn-conromz 'IIOIL'OF BRooKnYm-Nnw YORK, A' coRrc rArroN-or New YORK.

DISTIBJBUTERE FOR TYPOGRAPHICAE MACHINES.

Specification. of Lettersiatent: Patenijgd* M3 16 1920;

ApplicationfiledeNovem'berx17, 1919.3 Scria1Nc-;338;613.;

To all whom it may concern:

Be lt known tha'l'aIyTHOMAS S.- .HOMA.NS,

acitizen of the -.Unitedw States,-. residing at Hempstead,.in-tlieecounty;Nassau and. StateofiNeW'York; have-invented new and: useful Improvements in; Distributersior. Typo graphical zMachines, of 'vvhich the following.

is; a specification; 7 a r The present-invention ,relates-.to,1mprovements ,in; typographical machines, and more especially tmthose: ofrthelinotypeclass using; matrices provided, with; teeth by which they.

are; supported, ,Whlle"; they. travel along a distributeit bar,and. lugson their corners.

The; primary object: of the; invention. is to provide novel} and improved means; for. handling thB'jSO GfldlSdS01t$ or p1 character.

matrices which do noti belong in the maga zine: which 1 1s in use; 111': the :lIlitChlIlG', whereby these; sorts. orjpi character, matrices will all be; dropped from i the same; point in the length; ofithedistrihuter, although these matricesimay vary greatly. in thickness and some. of ;'them may-be .of..considerablethickness a and. bear; large type characters such as those used; for advertising: or; display pun poses; By causing all of the. sorts; or pi character matrices to, discharge at thesame point in: the; length of. the distributer, notwithstandin-gihe. variations in the thickness of such matrices, the reception of such,

matrices by. a; tube,: chute; or equivalent meansforconveying; them to a-pi stacker,

0 r: other; suitable collecting device, is greatly facilitated. and liability. of clogging, or

catching-of such matrices'while onitheirwayto. the pi stacker; or collecting device, is avoided;

Tothese, and othenends, theinvention consists; in certainimprovements, combinationsturesiof novelty being pointed out particu-v larly'inthe claims atzthe-end ofthe specification.

In the accompanying, drawing Figure :1 is a perspective. View of one end of ,theadistributer of aline casting machine of'thevlinotype; class, the same being viewed from the rear and equippedwiththe-,means provided by the present inventionfor. causing,- dropping of thesorts or. pizcharacter matrices from .thedistributen into. the chute by .which.-they; area-conveyed to. 21 p1 stacker or otherrcolleeting; device, I and:

Fig. 2.;representsan elevation. .offthe parts.

shovnninEig; 1, as viewed,fromthe'leftrin; said Fig.1. I

Similar.- partsaare designatedaby the name reference characters in the .severalvv views...

The present" invention isiapp licable gen erally to. typographical or. line casting machines-pf the ,classesiin. whichv theslugs: are. cast from matrices -.Which'. circulate through, the. machine; In, the ,presenttinst'ance, the invention is shown. appliedlto. amacliine oi:- the, linotyp e. class,; using-. matrices. having-,. teeth-in their upper. edges for supporting; the: matricesnwhilc.theyltravel along the, dis: tributer bar, and; lugs: which. project. from; the. corners .of the; matrices. The." preferred embodiment of the invention is shown and. will be:hereinafter described in detail,.but,. it, is to beunderstood. that the; inven-tionds. 1 not. restricted to the, precise. construction 75 shown. as equivalent constructions: are contemplated and: willbe includedwithin the scopeiof theeclaims.

The purpose ofjthe invention is to provide means forv handling more advantageously the-, 'sorts -or. pi character matrices which are not carried in theinatrix.magazine;which is in use in-theinachine, or aredel-ivered to a tube or chute through Which they dropby gravity; into a suitable; receptacle from. whichthe operator can set them into a. connposcd line, by hand. These s0-;called-sorts" or pi character matricesbeartypecharac ters of various sizes andkinds, andcouse, quently, these matrices vary inthickness, and furthermore, recent developments in ;the 1 art. have; brought into use matrices which are so thick thattit-lras. been .diflicultto prop erly handle these thick matrices andalso the thin ones, owing to the fact thateheretoforee these sorts; or pi. character. matrices, have beendropped irrespective ofatheir size. 01: dimensions from the 1 distributor bar. into a chute or tube, which chute ,or tube was made;

sufiiciently largeto.accommodate the. SQI'tStlOO or pi: character matrices having; large or.

thick bodies,- which resulted in twisting, andv consequent clogging, of: the relatively thin-a ner sortso-r pi, character. matriceswhen the latter dropped into the same chute. These difficulties are avoided by the present inven: I tion, according to which the-sortsor picharacter matrices are guided s by their lugs instead; of; their bodie's as heretofore, While passing. through the chute, to accomplish which {the present invention -p i-'ovides-;.novel.- and improved means whereby thesorts or:

character matrices at the momentthey drop fromthe distributer are properly alined or positioned to enter the chute, irrespective of the variations in the thicknesses oi'these matrices. By this construction and arrangemcnt correct entrance of all the sorts or pi character matrices into the chute or tube is insured, notwithstanding great variations that may exist in the thicknesses of the "its lower convergent edges, these combina-;

bodies of these matrices, and the matrices,

while passing through the chute or tube, are 7 guided by their projecting lugs, and hence twisting ,and consequent clogging of the 7 matrices in the chute is prevented; V

In the present embodiment of the inven tion 1 represents a portion ofthe distributor bar having conihination teeth 2' formed on tion teeth being similar to those'coniinonly used in machines of the linotype class to co operate with the tooth combinations formed in the notches in the upper ends "of the matrices, whereby the matrices are 'sup- 3 matrices, will appear from Fig. 2. The

advance'oi' the matrices by the distributor screws and the dropping 01": the matrices at the proper point in the length of the distributer bar in order that the matrices belonging in the magazine in use in the machine may be caused'to enter the respective channels in the magazine, takes place in a manner well known to those familiar with machines of the linotype class.

The sorts or pi character matrices are similar in their general outline to the matrices which are storedin the magazine, that is'they each have a body, lugs projecting from the corners of the body, and teeth formed in the upper end of the matrix, but these teeth do not form combinations as is the case with the matrices which belong in the magazine, but on the contrary, each of the -sorts or pi character matrices is pro vided with full set of teeth. Also, the pi character matrices vary very considerably in the thickness of their bodies. For example, M, M andM represent three sorts or-pi character matrices having bodies which vary substantially in thickness. By leaving all of the teeth 3 in the sorts or pi character matrices, these matrices will be caused to traverse the distributer bar to the extreme end of its toothed portion. In the case of the matrices l. and M it is to be observed that these matrices which have relatively thick bodies have their combination or supporting teeth formed on the righthand side of the body in Fig. 1 and the projecting lu gs m on the lefthand side of the "body, this being'the. usual way ,o l making matrices, and it would be impracticable to alter the relative location oftliesecharacteristic parts of the matrices, owing to the cotiperation between these parts of the'inatrices and matrices circulate. 7

According to the present invention the parts of the machine through which the distributer bar is provided near its extreme lefthand end in Fig. 1, with a complete set of teeth 2* to cotiperate. with the complete sets of teeth in the "sorts or pi character matrices, these teeth 2 being'located beyond the usual combination teeth-2 and they receive the sorts or pi character matrices after the latter pass off'or beyond-the co1nbination teeth 2, the continued advance of the sorts or pi character matrices'being effected by the distributor screws 4 which-are of a sufficient lengthto accomplish this. The

teethfl are relatively short 'in length and they terminate at the point occupied bythe matrix M so that this matrix has just left the supporting teeth 2 Obviously if this matrix M or one of similar body thickness were allowed to drop from the distributor at this point, and the following thin bodied 'matrix 1 3 were permitted'to-drop at the same point, that is the pointwhere the teeth i of these matrices-reachthe end of the supporting teeth 2, thelugs m, of these-two" matrices would fall in substantially differens vertical positions. In order to enable the sorts or pi character matrices to be guided by their lugs while passing throughthe chute, and thus avoid twisting and consef quent clogging of these matrices, means is provided for insuring the dropping of-all of the sorts or pi character matrices so that their lugs will bein the same vertical plane.

Preferably and as shown, a pairof rails 5 is provided, these rails performing the function of supporting the sorts or pi character matrices by their upperlugs m after the teeth in these matrices have left or passed beyond the end of the supporting teeth 2- of the distributor bar, the rails being located in parallelism with and at opposite sides of the lower edge of the distributor bar and at V a level which permits the upper lugs of the matrices to pass over and to eventually come to rest upon the upper edges of these rails. In this way the matrices when disengaged from the supporting teeth 2 of the distributer bar become supported by the upper lugs of the matrices which rest uponthe'upper edges of .the rails and as the distributor screws still engage these matrices, the ad'- vance of such matrices continues until the upper lugs which support the matrices on the rails reach the l'efthand' ends of the rails, whereupon the matrices drop into the chute 6. In this way all of the sorts or pi character matrices are caused to drop from the distributer when the lugs of the matrices'reach a predetermined vertical plane which is constant, notwithstanding variations in the thicknesses of the matrices and consequent variations in distance between the supporting teeth of the matrices and their lugs. The chute 6 is formed with grooves 7 which are alined with the discharge ends of the rails 5, as a result of which the lugs on the matrices dropping from the rails 5 enter these grooves and the matrices are thereby guided by their lugs while passing through the chute, the bodies of. the relatively thick matrices projecting without obstruction to the outside of the chute, as illustrated by the matrix M. The rails 5 arepreferably attached tothe distributer bar 1 by brackets 8, the brackets being secured by the screws 9, or other suitable means, to the distributor bar, this arrangement being preferable as it enables the distributer bar andthe rails 5 to be handled as one part.

By supporting the matrices by the rails on which the upper laterally projectii'g; lugs oi the matrices rest, after the distributing teeth of the matrices have become released or disengaged from the teeth on the distributer bar, the lugs 01 the matrices determine the point at which each matrix will drop into the chute, and inasmuch as these to steady the matrices while they are advanced along the rails 5 without, however, interfering with the dropping of the matrices in to the chute when their supporting lugs reach the ends of the rails.

I claim as my invention 1. In a typographical machine having a toothed distributer bar and adapted to use pi matrices having lugs projecting from their bodies means for supporting such pi matrices by their lugs when they become dis engaged from the distributer bar, whereby they are conducted to a common point of distribution.

2. in a typographical machine having a toothed distributer bar and using matrices have become disengaged the end of the bar, said matrices-also having lugs projecting outwardly at the opposite side of the body, means for supporting the dilferent matrices by their projecting lugs after the teeth of the matrices become disengaged from the teeth of the distributer bar and for discharging the matrices so supported when their lugs reach a predetermined plane.

3. In a typographical machine having a toothed distributor bar and using pi mat rices having full sets of teeth to engage and support the matrices by the teeth of the distributer bar in passing the various combine: tions thereon to the end ofthe' bar, said pi matrices also having lugs projecting from their bodies, rails located adjacent to the terminus of the matrix-supporting teeth on the distributer bar to engage the lugs and thus support such pi matrices after they from the teeth on the distributor bar.

4:. In a typographical machine having a toothed distributer bar for supporting matrices to travel thereon and-using matrices having teeth to engage the teeth on the distributer bar and also having lugs projecting from their bodies, a chute located beyond the matrix-releasing end of the teeth on the distributor bar to receive and guide such matrices by their projecting lugs, and means located between the matrix-releasing end of the distributer-bar teeth and the chute for supporting the matrices by their projecting lugs after their release from the distributer bar and for discharging them into the chutev when the lugs of the matrices reach a predetermined constant position. 7

5. In a typographical machine having atoothed distributer and using matrices having bodies of different thicknesses with lugs projecting from the body at one side and distributer teeth at the opposite side of the body adapted to engage and support the matrices by the teeth of the distributor bar, a matrix chute to receive and guide the matrices by the projecting lugs thereof, rails arranged longitudinally of thedistributer bar beyond the matrix-releasing end of the teeth thereof to support the matrices by their projecting lugs after the teeth of the matriees have become disengaged from the teeth of the distributor bar, the matrices being adapted to discharge from said rails into said chute when the lugs of the matrices reach a predetermined position, and means tributer bar and also along said rails.

In testimony whereofI have hereunto set I my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS S. HOMANS. lVitnesses:

ALFRED M. BERRY, OTTO Hnas, 

